September 17, 2020

Title: WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE

Constructor: Lynn Lempel

Editors: Erik Agard and Paolo Pasco

Guest Blogger: Sid Sivakumar

Theme Answers:

VOWEL SOUND (17A: Short "e," e.g.)
SICK BAY (40A: Ship's infirmary)
LIVE STREAM (64A: Broadcast in real time)
ROOT CANAL (11D: Drawn-out dental procedure)
TV CHANNEL (34D: Couch potato's pick)

Theme synopsis: The last word in each theme answer is a geologic (or, in the case of CANAL, artificial) WATER feature. 

Things I learned:

• LARA (18D: "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" protagonist ___ Jean Covey) "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" is a young adult romance novel by Jenny Han that explores the interpersonal relationships of LARA Jean Covey, a Korean-Caucasian girl living in Virginia. The book and subsequent film adaptation received rave reviews, especially from Gen Z audiences, who praised the relatability of the protagonist. LARA certainly deserves a spot in this puzzle.
• RODIN (15A: Sculptor who influenced Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller) French sculptor Auguste RODIN has been in plenty of puzzle grids, but this clue is an exemplar of how the USA Today crossword team uses their platform to highlight underrepresented figures of importance. Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller was a leader of the Harlem Renaissance, representing the Black experience through sculptures, paintings, and poetry. Her biography merits your attention, and I'm very happy I learned about her today. 
• SAMBA (62A: Genre for Clara Nunes) Nicknamed the "Queen of Samba," Clara Nunes is considered one of the greatest samba vocalists of all time, with 16 solo albums and record-breaking sales during her career.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• EONS (16A: Geologic time spans) and ERAS (71A: Geologic time spans) Clue echoes can range from cutesy to tacky, but these clues fit in just perfectly today considering the geologic theme. Both words are cruciverbal mainstays, given their friendly letters, so this is a neat little Easter egg for regular solvers.
• WRAP (10A: Kati roll, e.g.) The kati roll is a delicious combination of flaky paratha flatbread and hot curry, wrapped and skewered for easy streetside consumption. I, for one, welcome any and all references to kati rolls (in crosswords and at the dinner table). 
• SIS (65D: Tia, to Tamera, for short) The reference here is to the wildly popular 1990s sitcom "Sister, Sister," starring real-life sisters Tia and Tamera Mowry. It's finally on Netflix this month!

Geography review:

• FLEE (21A: Get out of Dodge) This idiom invokes a reference to Dodge City, Kansas, an infamously dangerous Wild West frontier town.
• ATHENS (47A: Acropolis city) The Acropolis of Athens, known to ancient Greeks as Cecropia, contains the remains of many significant buildings, including the Parthenon.

Guest blogger and indie puzzle constructor Sid Sivakumar here today! My many thanks to Sally for enrolling me in Crossword Blogging 101 for blog post #101. It's been a joy to read her thoughts every day on this blog — especially since one of her stated goals is to be kind with her comments. Kindness is an undervalued but vital commodity these days, and Sally's voice shines as the ideal for good-hearted crossword commentary. 

Blogging a puzzle is easy when the solve is so fresh and fun! Once again, Lynn Lempel has masterfully crafted an accessible crossword grid, with fill highlights including WEBSITE and NELSON Mandela crossing Michelle OBAMA, and uniformly great theme entries. I initially got a bit stuck in the top left corner, not knowing LARA and not seeing TO WIT, EVITA, or DETERS, but I filled in the rest of the grid quickly in a single clockwise pass. I did stop to laugh out loud at the clue for ROOT CANAL (11D: Drawn-out dental procedure), which describes the procedure both literally and emotionally.

A final aside: I recently ate an OREO with mustard on a Twitch LIVE STREAM — actually, not just one, but three — wholly inspired by some inventive cluing in the USA Today. My verdict: Oreos and honey mustard are not bad! Oreos and yellow mustard are a seemingly acquirable taste. Oreos and Dijon mustard are best left to the imagination. 

Hope to see you again soon!